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by MarinaMontenegro
Summary: Catra manages to break into Adora's room. Scorpia tried to tell her to plan what she wanted to say, but she thought it would just come to her in the moment. She realizes now that was stupid. She doesn't even know what she wants. ONESHOT: Catra/Adora


My claws dug into the stone. Looking down, I was at least seven stories high. _All the more reason not to look down, then._ Adora's window was only a few feet away now. I stretched my arm out, grabbing onto the ledge.

She left her window open, _what a stupid move_. This was the New Adora though - so naive to trust the world enough to just leave a window wide open. Back in the Fright Zone, she would have double checked the lock. _She's changed_ , I tell myself again. I have to remember that. This isn't my Adora, not anymore. The thought is gone as soon as I see her though.

I pull myself up onto the ledge and there she is. Adora, lying on a flatbed, her head propped up on some squishy pink pillow. Her blanket must have fallen during the night. It's She still sleeps in her uniform. Her jacket is tossed on the floor, but the white under armor is still on.

Scorpia tried to tell me to plan what I wanted to say, but I thought it would just come to me. Now that I sit here, I realize that was stupid. I didn't even know what angle I wanted to go for. _"Sorry I let you fall off a cliff"_ or _"You abandoned me and I'll make you pay"_? Tough choices.

"Adora." I just said the one word. No 'hey', no greeting. I let her name just fall out into the air.

Adora always was a light sleeper. Her eyes popped open immediately, but she didn't jump up. She rolled onto her side, facing me. "Catra?" she said quietly, sleepily. At first, she did not even react. She sat up slowly, rubbed her eyes - but then her expression changed. First to confusion, then to concern, even anger. "What are you doing here?" Her tone stung. I wasn't expecting her to be happy to see me but…

"What, you don't like visitors?" I asked. I dragged my nails against the frame of the window, avoiding her eye contact. Her eyes were full of disgust and hatred. I didn't want to see that. From the corner of my eye, I could see her mouth open, but I didn't want to know what angry thing she would say. Instead, I cut her off. "This whole room to yourself, Adora? What could you possibly need this much space for?"

"You shouldn't be here, Catra," Adora said. She was standing now, glaring at me.

"Yeah," I replied. "We wouldn't want your little friends seeing me."

"This has nothing to do with them."

I jumped off the windowsill, landing silently on the floor. "Then what does it have to do with?"

"Oh, maybe - you kidnapping my friends?" Adora starts. _I knew it was about them._ "Or when you let me fall off a cliff inside the citadel? How about when you tried to kill me and all my friends just a few weeks ago?'

"So… it does have to do with your friends?" I asked. Her cheeks went red, like they always do when she's one-upped. I smirk at her and go on. "Come on, Adora. No one died." I turned my back to her, glancing out her window. She had a nice view, looking over the trees. I mean, it was a nice view until the Whispering Woods got destroyed.

"What are you doing here?" she asked again. She was less angry now, more concerned I would guess.

 _I wish I knew,_ was what I wanted to say. Instead, I didn't say anything. I just looked out over the remains of the Whispering Woods. She walked closer, I could hear her footsteps, as soft as they were.

"Catra?" Adora asked, softly now. She was right behind me. Her hand found my shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Like you'd care, Adora," I replied. I remembered my thoughts earlier: she's changed.

"Catra, I still care," Adora said. "I am always going to care… you were - are - my best friend…"

"Yeah, I was," I said. "But that didn't stop you from leaving."

"I wish I had taken you with me," Adora replied.

I laughed a loud, harsh laugh. Adora's hand pulled away from me. "You can't just _take_ me with you," I replied. "You've always treated me like a pet, but look at me now. I outrank you. I report directly to Hordak now. I even outrank Shadow Weaver."

"This isn't about ranks," Adora insisted. "Catra, this is just good and evil. The Horde _is_ evil."

"So I'm evil, Adora?" I turned back to face her. "I am Horde."

"I don't think you're evil," Adora said. "That's why - if you just listened -"

"I don't want to listen," I interrupted. She's cute when she's flustered, but my interruption put her on the defensive. Adora's eyes narrowed, her stance shifting. She was ready to fight me, I could see it in her eyes. In the way her weight shifted to the balls of her feet. I turned back around, looking out the window again. I didn't want to fight her, not yet.

"What do you want then?" Adora asked. Her voice was so cold. "Why are you here?"

"I don't - " my voice wavered. "I don't know," I admitted. "I keep trying to figure it out, and I can't."

"What do you mean?" Adora asked, softly again. She was so good at pretending she cared.

My eyes burned. It would be so stupid to cry - I definitely _shouldn't_ cry. I swallowed the tears and laughed again. "You could have been something, Adora."

"I know that's not it," Adora said. Her hand found my shoulder again, and she turned me slowly towards her. "Catra, just tell me what's going on. For real."

Face to face. She was tired, I could see it in her eyes. That's fair though, it was the middle of the night. Her mouth was curled into a small frown, her hand still on my shoulder. "Catra," she began to say. I pressed my mouth to hers, expecting her to pull away. She didn't, instead, she froze. I stayed there for a moment, my lips against hers, neither of us moving at all. The hand she had on my shoulder moved down, pulling me closer to her from my waist. Her other hand found my hair, her fingers lost in its tangles.

The truth was that I wanted to stay. Maybe not stay here as in here in Bright Moon, with all the dumb princesses, but I wanted to stay with Adora. I wanted to stay in this moment. I couldn't - I knew that even if Adora didn't seem to realize it. The same way she didn't realize the Horde was attacking civilians, that the Horde was dark and abusive. I mean, home is literally called the Fright Zone, and Adora didn't piece it together. There was no way she would realize that her beautiful pink bright tower bedroom was just as bad. Her new friends, with all their group hugs and sleepovers, were just like the Horde. Sure, they are kind to She-Ra, but they weren't going to let someone like me in. Just like back home, Adora had it easy here, but I worked too hard to get where I am. She has everything handed to her. She thinks I could do the same thing. Pack up and leave, have Adora vouch for me to the princesses. Be her pet all over again. I worked too hard for that.

The moment had to end. I don't know how long we stayed in that room, in that spot. We stood, our bodies against each other, our lips locked, until finally I pulled away, turning my back to her. Tears built up in my eyes again, andI fought them back. "Come home, Adora," I whispered. "I'm so tired of fighting you. I'm tired of hating you. Just... come home."

One jump up to the window ledge, and I leaped over. My claws scratched down the side of the building, slowing my fall. Scorpia was waiting with a vehicle to take us back. She was just beyond the start of the trees. I didn't look back until I reached the edge of the dying forest. Once I reached the stump of the first tree, I stopped. I wiped my eyes on my sleeve and glanced back at Bright Moon. The castle was tall and glowing, just as before. I found Adora's window, the 3rd one from the top. It was shut now.


End file.
